Tangen



March 10, 1964 w. TANGEN 3,123,843

LIFE-SAVING RAFT Filed May 23. 1961 INVENTOR. EG/alter T 5 7:

Y m M %1%EYJ United States Patent 3,123,843 LEFE-SAVHNG RAFT W alter Tangen, l-legdehaugseveien 2, (isle, Norway Filed May 23, 1961, tier. No. 111,960 Claims priority, application Norway May 2'7, 196i) 1 Claim. (Cl. 9-=-li} The present invention relates to a life-saving raft, and has for its object to provide such a raft which is in possession of a series of favourable properties. In the first place the raft is exceptionally light and still substantially strong. Furthermore, the raft has an inherent elasticity, which prevents it from being damaged. The raft according to the invention can be formed symmetrically about a central plane parallel to the plane of the raft, W1 ereby the raft may be thrown into the sea, no matter whether one or the other side is turned up.

According to a further important feature of the invention, the raft is provided with a tent or shelter-arrangement on both sides. Such protecting tents are known per se, but according to the invention such a device is proposed to be arranged on each side of the symmetrical raft, releasable from both sides, where-by not only a protecting tent is provided on the side of the raft, which is turning up, but also a device on the side of the raft turning down, which latter device serves as a floating anchor and as a roll damping device.

There is previously known a great number of various proposals for life-savings rafts. Thus it has been usual to build these on a rigid frame work, a stiffening platform or the like and a buoyancy body made of a light floating material as for instance cork, cellular artificial material or the like. Also floating means in the form of inflatable cells have been proposed. A drawback concerning rafts of the rigid type proposed is that they are rather heavy, and due to the lack of elasticity, they have a tendency of being damaged during the launching. The inflatable life-serving rafts have a great elasticity, but they have the drawback that they may puncture. Thereby the safety is reduced to a most unfavourable extent.

The invention relates to the kind of life-saving rafts, which comprise an annular bouyancy body with a central bottom therein. The ground plan as well as the cross section of the annular body may be circular, elliptical or polygonal.

According to the invention the above mentioned is obtained by building up a raft from cellular artificial material in such a way that the entire raft is constituted of a unitary structure of such material, without having any stiffening or reinforcing frameor bottom parts. The raft thereby will be half-rigid or yieldingly elastic.

f1 0 have a better understanding of the invention, this should be further described under reference to the drawing where:

FIG. 1 is a cross section through an embodiment of the raft according to the invention, and

FIG. 2 shows one half of the raft according to FIG. 1, seen perpendicularly on the raft plane.

As will be seen the raft is built up from a central circular plate-formed part 1, which along the circumference changes into an annular buoyancy body 2, which may have air-tilled cavities 3. At the center the raft is provided with a circular box-like chamber having space 4 Mar. lb, 196% ice , arranged, such tent for instance consisting of bar or supporting members it} with adherent canvas or plastic cover 5. [This part of the arrangement is only suggested in the drawing, the supports 1%, l being pivoted to the outward edge 2 of the annular buoyancy body 2, as suggested at ll. This tent arrangement is assumed to be releasable from both sides. The arrangement 5, 19, turning up after the launching will then serve as at protecting shelter, while the arrangement 5, ill, turning down serves as an effective roll-damping device and at the same time as a floating anchor. As known both features are of great importance to the shipwrecked on the raft.

The raft according to the invention is preferably provided with means to stretch a canvas or the like across the raft, like suggested at 6 in the drawing. 'In normal circumstances the annular part 2 will serve as a seat for the shipwrecked persons, who will sit with their feet down towards the bottom 1. If however, the raft is damaged, eg at an explosion or a shooting, and the bottom is torn or perforated-although the carrying capacity of the raft will not be substantially cl1angedwater will get above the bottom part, and this is unpleasant. With the stretched out canvas there is obtained a higher deck, which also serves as a support for e.g. wounded persons, who must lie down.

it will be understood that the example shown and disclosed in the specification is only meant as an illustration of the inventive idea, and that this may be varied in different ways within the scope of the following claim.

I claim:

A lifesaving raft of the type which is symmetrically arranged about a horizontal central plane, comprising a circumferential toroidal body of a cellular artificial material and a central bottom arranged therein, the circumference of the toroidal body as well as the bottom being composed from a cellular artificial material, free from stiffening and reinforcing frames and bottom parts, whereby the entire raft is semi-rigid and somewhat yieldingly elastic, and a peripheral rirn edge with a cover and supports with the peripheral rim edge projecting from the body and integral therewith and the cover and supports being secured and pivoted thereon.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 663,096 Lavery Dec. 4, 1900 2,367,902 Taylor Jan. 23, 1945 2,464,086 Hiscock Mar. 8, 1949 2,888,690 Shaw June 2, 1959 2,972,758 Belin Feb. 28, 1961 3,032,789 Fedorowicz May 8, 1962 3,048,395 Hobbs Aug. 7, 1962 

